Will a stainless prop REALLY perform better.

[catman71]

I have an aluminum "Hustler" prop on my 150 2 stroke on an 18 foot Lund. People say a satinless is better/faster/and will even get me more women. OK, not the last one.

Is it really worth it?

What brand is good and what will it cost me?

[cold one sd]

Yeah, but the women will be ugly.

[catman71]

thanks for that!

I just want to be sure before I drop a ton of cash on a prop that it will make my boat faster, otherwise, I'll just spend it on a back waxing, that always impresses the ladies....

[Northlander]

Stainless will improve your boats performance but make sure you get the correct one.

[Wayne Ek]

A stainless will improve performance with a 3 blade, a 4 blade will probably improve performance over an Alum. I like 4's for a better hole shot. But from your handle Catman, and a Stearns Co address, if your hitting the upper Mississippi, Crow or Rum alot I would think about staying with an Alum. When you hit something hard with an Alum. the prop. will get damaged, but usually the shaft is ok, with a stainless, you can do damage to the shaft, now we are talking real big repair bills... When I fish tournaments on pools 4 or 5 I will switch to a Alum. to save the shaft, I know I'm going to hit something sometime during the year

[catman71]

you should be a detective! I do fish the river and I am out on the chain alot. BUT I have a 2004 Explorer and the prop is still spotless after 2 seasons and the start of this one.

What can I expect in the way of improvements? Top speed, more acceleration? 5mph? 10mph?

[iffwalleyes]

I would stick with the aluminum hustler. With their hub design they are allowed to slip a little if they hit something. With a stainless there is no slip so if you do hit something it might do more damage to the motor than it is worth. You would get better speed but not even 5 MPH I would guess. For me replacing a prop is a lot better than a prop shaft or lower unit. Especially if you are fishing a area that you would be at a higher risk for hitting something.

[randallt]

I am far from an expert in this area, but I have an 18' lund with a 135 optimax that I bought used with a stainless prop. I bought an aluminum at the end of last season because I was going to fish Vermillion after the buoys were pulled. Just like previous posts I didn't want the damage of hitting something with a stainless prop. My experience with the two is the stainless is a little faster (3 or 4 mph) and seems to get out of the hole a little better. The difference is minimal in my opinion, so I am running the aluminum.

As a matter of fact, I would sell you my stainless if you want it. It is a 19 pitch mercury blade - will get other info if you are interested. I have no idea what it is worth as I have never bought one, but it is in good shape with only a couple of minor dings.

As I reread my post I realize that I would make a louzy stainless steel prop salesman.

[eyepatrol]

My only recommendation would be to NOT go with a 5-blade stainless steel such as the Hi-five. Had that on my previous boat and it didn't reverse worth a darn, plus the speeds ironically were 3-4mph slower than the 3-blade aluminum. Good hole shot, but that was about it. I've never driven with a 3 or 4-blade stainless so I can't comment on those.

Good Luck and I hope you find something that works well for you!

[catman71]

thanks guys. I think I will just skip it.